For decades, the “ambient fan” (see also: “the water-cooler fan”, "channel-surfer fan", etc.) quietly sustained sports. They weren’t season-ticket holders or superfans; they were the ones who kept up with their team at the office, caught a game when it was on TV, and maybe splurged on tickets once or twice a year. They padded TV ratings, filled the cheap seats, and kept sports culturally ambient.
But in 2025, the ambient fan has evolved. The landscape has fractured, and in its place, two very different types of fandom have emerged.
Streaming Has Raised the Stakes
Today's sports world is scattered across dozens of services. MLB on Apple TV+, NFL on Peacock or YouTube TV, the NBA is building its own direct-to-consumer platform. In total, more than 130 sports streaming platforms now operate in the U.S. alone.
Watching used to be effortless; you could stumble onto a game while channel surfing. Now, it takes intent. Fans either commit to finding a stream or skip it entirely.
This has split the idea of fandom into two camps: those willing to jump through hoops, and those who just check the score online.
Meet the Die-hard
The die-hard fans are the ones who pay, subscribe, and juggle multiple logins just to keep up. They’ll sit through endless apps, buy the jersey, travel for games, and shell out for overpriced tickets. They might be smaller in number, but their commitment runs deeper.
Think of NHL or NBA audiences today: not discovered by channel surfers, but streamed by intentional subscribers. Or consider the Swifties who turned Taylor Swift’s appearances at Chiefs games into an online event of its own, with an entire fan community built around each camera shot.
Die-hard streamers are the backbone of the modern sports world (as they always have been): fewer in total reach, but higher in value.
Enter the Ambient
On the other side of fandom: the Ambient fan (aka, the casual scroller). They don’t buy tickets or tune in for full games. They follow sports the same way they follow everything else: through TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube highlights. Just enough to stay in the loop of their favourite teams or sports.
The Savannah Bananas thrive with this type of audience. Millions of fans have never been to their ballpark, but still watch their trick plays and dance routines online. Formula 1’s “Drive to Survive” series has done something similar: using highlights and storytelling to drive more engagement than many races themselves.
These fans may not sit through four quarters, but they expand sports’ cultural footprint far beyond traditional broadcasts.
Why the Ambient Fan has evolved
Two main factors have accelerated this shift:
- Ticket prices: The average NFL ticket is now over $120, with resale markets pushing that price even higher. Younger fans are increasingly priced out of the in-person experience.
- Streaming fragmentation: Deloitte reports that nearly half of fans feel overwhelmed by too many subscriptions. For a random fan who might once have stumbled into a game on cable, the barrier is now too high.
Today, the middle ground is disappearing. Fans either commit fully as die-hards or skim the surface as ambient fans.
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What This Means for Teams and Sponsors
This polarization is reshaping the fan playbook.
Die-hard fans provide the foundation: loyalty, consistent revenue, and rich first-party data. They’re fewer in number, but more valuable per capita.
Ambient fans deliver further reach and cultural relevance. Their attention is fleeting, but their influence is wide. They require new strategies, like gamified interactions, loyalty programs, and shareable content that transforms surface-level engagement into lasting connections.
Our Take
The future belongs to those who can bridge these two worlds – capturing the fleeting attention of ambient fans and nurturing it into a deeper identity, while rewarding die-hards with experiences that match their level of commitment.
The “casual fan" may be disappearing, but in their place are two distinct audiences. Each is familiar in some ways, but demanding new playbooks for engagement.
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